Plus: The last country on Earth without a football team, and a viral South African tune
| | | | | | | As Hamas continues firing rockets into southern Israel, the Gaza Strip has been relentlessly targeted by Israeli missiles. According to the Palestinian health ministry, around 830 people have now been killed in the territory, adding to the more than 1,000 deaths Israel attributes to the Hamas offensive. Both parties are denying that negotiations are taking place, but Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet hears that international efforts to free the hostages held in Gaza are intensifying. State Department correspondent Barbara Plett Usher also looks at what the conflict means for US foreign policy. On a different note, scroll down for a musical update from South Africa. |
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| | | | | | AT THE SCENE | Jerusalem, Israel | | Efforts to free hostages intensify | | | | Siblings Erez (L) and Sahar (R) are thought to be among the hostages taken into Gaza. Credit: Ido Dan | | The taking of dozens of hostages by militants into Gaza is one of the elements of the Hamas offensive that Israel has never faced before. As Israeli rockets rain on the densely populated Gaza Strip, increasing the civilian death toll of the conflict, international efforts are under way to save as many of the hostages as possible. | | | | Lyse Ducet, Chief International Correspondent |
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| Diplomatic efforts are said to be intensifying to try to free some of the more than 100 hostages reportedly being held by Hamas. The focus appears to be on a swap involving women and children - including Israelis and other nationals - in an exchange for Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails. A diplomat briefed on the talks told the BBC that discussions were under way involving mediation by the Gulf state of Qatar, where some of Hamas’s political leaders are based.
The US was described as co-ordinating the process. It doesn’t include the Islamic Jihad group (PIJ) which has reportedly seized about 30 hostages. Both Israel and Hamas have publicly denied any hostage negotiations are taking place. But a diplomatic source said the talks were gathering pace. It's unfolding in a highly fluid situation fraught with risk. One source said he was hopeful but admitted neither side was ready for mediation on any of the wider issues as this war worsens. |
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| | Questions Answered | | The US role in Israel’s response to Hamas | | | | The aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford was being dispatched to waters near Israel. Credit: Getty Images |
| | Support for Israel is a key staple of American foreign policy. The US already supplies its Middle Eastern ally with $3.8bn (£3.1bn) of military aid every year. And given the unprecedented scale of the Hamas offensive, the US will be part of a lengthy and punishing Israeli response. | | | | Barbara Plett Usher, State Department correspondent |
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| | What’s the significance of the US dispatching a warship? | | The US has not deployed naval vessels during previous battles between Israel and Hamas. But this time it’s afraid the conflict could spread. A senior defence official said the warships and planes are meant to demonstrate a concrete commitment to Israel's defence, and to deter any country or militant group from joining the fight. | | What other kind of assistance will Israel receive? | | The Biden administration has ordered the Pentagon to send "additional equipment and resources" to Israel. That includes air defence and munitions. Israel's request for aid on the first day of the war signals how much firepower it expects to use in what it's signalling is going to be a long war. | | Would a prolonged conflict in the Middle East affect US support for Ukraine? | | According to Seth Jones, a security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the urgent attention on Israel may take some of the focus off of other theatres, including Ukraine. Additional funding in either conflict would require approval from Congress, which is currently paralysed by an internal battle over who will be the next Speaker of the House. | | | | | | • | White House worries: The shockwaves from the Israel-Gaza conflict are being felt across US politics, creating new headaches for President Joe Biden, writes North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. | | • | Harvard backlash: A letter penned by the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and co-signed by 33 student groups has attracted strong criticism for blaming Israel for violence in the region. |
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| | The big picture | | No country for a football team - for now | | | | A national stadium is under construction in the capital, Majuro. Credit: SoccerFedMI |
| | Englishman Lloyd Owers is on a mission to end the Marshall Islands’ status as the last country on Earth without a national football team. The goal (pun intended) is for the nation of 60,000 to achieve Oceania Football Confederation membership - before ultimately playing internationally. | | | | |
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| | | | For your downtime | | Hotel with a mission | | The luxury resort that doubles as a centre for conservation research. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | Musician Tyla has become the first South African artist in 55 years to feature in the prestigious Billboard Hot 100 chart, in the US, after her song Water went viral on TikTok. Read about the dance challenge it inspired. |
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| | | | | | Future Planet | | Explore the wonders of our amazing planet. | | |
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| | | Let me know your thoughts about sustainable travel and viral TikTok tunes, and send me suggestions for topics or areas of the world to cover in this newsletter. Tell your friends and family about it! They can sign up here.
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